European group gets Greenland mining permit amid Trump interest

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COPENHAGEN: Greenland on Wednesday handed a 30-year mining permit to a Danish-French mining group aiming to extract a moon-like rock that could offer a climate-friendly alternative in aluminium production.

The Arctic island rich in minerals, oil and natural gas, and long seen as a potential resource frontier, has drawn international attention since US President Donald Trump expressed an interest in purchasing it earlier this year.

THE TRUMP DESPIRE

Meanwhile, the move comes as Trump has repeatedly expressed this desire to acquire the mineral-rich island. It is despite the fact that Greenland is part of Denmark – a US ally and part of NATO.

Trump has even not ruled out using military force to gain control of Greenland, triggering widespread condemnation.

Greenland is less secure now than it was a few decades ago and the Arctic island would be better off under the security of the United States than under Denmark’s leadership, US Vice President JD Vance had said in March.

Earlier this week, China said it “fully respects Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the issue of Greenland,” as Trump again talked about acquiring the autonomous Danish territory.

State-run Global Times Chinese reported these remarks as Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Beijing.

At the same time, Wang said Beijing “hopes that Denmark will also continue to support China’s legitimate position on matters concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

IS IT A MESSAGE?

The permit was granted to Greenland Anorthosite Mining (GAM), which is developing a site in western Greenland. The company is backed by French investment firm the Jean Boulle Group and state investment funds in both Greenland and Denmark.

Anorthosite – a white rock composed mainly of aluminium, micro silica, and calcium – is similar to the material brought back by NASA’s Apollo missions. GAM plans to ship crushed anorthosite to the fibreglass industry, where it could replace kaolin as a more sustainable input.

The broader ambition is to use it as a climate-friendly alternative to bauxite in the production of aluminium, which is used in aircraft, vehicles and defence.

“My hope is that the mine will be operational in five years,” Greenland’s Mineral Resources Minister Naaja Nathanielsen told Reuters.

NOTHING TANGIBLE

Despite the geopolitical spotlight, Nathanielsen said the US interest in Greenland had not yet translated into tangible investment.

“Right now, all the fuss has not resulted in increased appetite for investment directly in Greenland,” she said, referring to Trump’s proposal to buy the island.

“We have welcomed a number of investors, but we have not yet seen any concrete example of American funds being injected into Greenland’s business community,” she said.

Private US business delegations have visited the island since the beginning of the year, but formal dialogue with the new US administration has yet to begin, she said.

However, dialogue with European partners was progressing:

“There is no doubt that the dialogue with both the EU and Denmark is going smoother. This is not only the result of the noise made by the US administration, but also the result of several years of intensified cooperation,” Nathanielsen said.

Nathanielsen was reappointed in April after a more pro-business government came to power.

The island’s mining sector has developed slowly, hindered by limited investor interest, bureaucratic challenges and environmental concerns. Currently, only two small mines are in operation.